To sweep or Not To sweep?

This is a discussion on To sweep or Not To sweep? within the Home (And Away From Home) Defense Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; Originally Posted by oFant0mo
No we do, its a special version of the Doctrine. Essentially we cannot use deadly force unless the threat for lethal ...

No we do, its a special version of the Doctrine. Essentially we cannot use deadly force unless the threat for lethal force is there. So we can only rise to meet the lethal force. However a good lawyer can make that case and get you out of the trouble for protecting your family.

I sure would not bet the family farm or my freedom on any "special version" of anything and/or what a lawyer, good, bad or otherwise might accomplish in the peoples republic of NJ.

Not that I'm a fan, but it's a quote from Mike Tyson. Basically saying many people will have some idea of what they're going to do in a situation, but once things start to happen, rarely do things go as planned.

Not that I'm a fan, but it's a quote from Mike Tyson. Basically saying many people will have some idea of what they're going to do in a situation, but once things start to happen, rarely do things go as planned.

Better to have a bad plan which goes awry than no plan which goes as designed.

All of our bedrooms open on to the main room of the house, with bedrooms on two levels. I too take my cues from the dogs. If the Min Pin is out of our bed there's something wrong. Our lab will bark at deer, or raccoons in the yard but if the little one is up there's something to go check out. We are down to one 20 something still at home, so its usually him coming in late. But the little dog alerts when he opens the gate at the top of our driveway. That's about 100 yds away from the house. DR

Not that I'm a fan, but it's a quote from Mike Tyson. Basically saying many people will have some idea of what they're going to do in a situation, but once things start to happen, rarely do things go as planned.

Which is at least an accidental paraphrasing of Sun Tzu; "No plan survives contact with the enemy."

No kids, no dogs, full house alarm system all ports of entry alarmed. If they come in the alarm will go off and has done so 2x with a window that was not latched and the wind got it. Alarm goes off it is check the zone and then call 911 before the alarm company as it will be a cell call since the alarm system will have the home phone line in use. I will wait for them to come to me. I keep a set of house keys on a large dongle to throw down to the Police to get them inside with out the doors getting kicked in, and it also has two challenge questions and answers they can use to verify if it is really me on the other end of the conversation so I don't get shot. From there it is play it as it goes.

Just personally, in my state the fact an intruder is in my home at night has him bought and paid for. There is only my wife and myself, nobody that knows me would knock on my door at night without yelling who they are much less enter unannounced so I have no worries there.
That said I wake the wife give her one shot gun leave her in the bedroom and go deal with the problem.

If the cat hasn't growled there's nothing to worry about. I'm not (completely) joking! If someone of something is in the yard or house in the middle of the night one of the cats has what can only be called a gutteral growl that sends chills up a grown man's spine!

OK, there is more to it than that but trust the animals. If the dog didn't respond it was a noise he (or she) knows. Same with the cats at my house. Watch the animals' reactions. If something or someone is moving in the house they'll know.

That doesn't means roll over, it just means don't walk the house in full panic mode... yet...

If it didn't wake up my dogs, the bump in the night was one of the cats. I'd roll over and go back to sleep.

exactly. dogs can hear better than humans...especially humans that are asleep. if you heard something it's likely something the dog is so used to hearing from being at home all the time that it doesn't think anything of it. if a dog hears something not normal (and often can hear many things you don't hear), they are waking up and at least looking in the direction of the sound if not barking. dogs are priceless for situations like this.